The University Judiciary Committee invited students to witness the body's third annual mock trial yesterday evening in the Newcomb Trial Room to educate the University community about the judiciary process.
The hearing was part of the UJC's annual awareness week, which began Sunday and will end today.
UJC Chair Victoria Marchetti said this week's events are designed to increase the transparency of the UJC process, as trials are usually kept completely confidential unless an accused student requests an open trial. Fewer than ten students attended the mock trial.
During the mock proceedings, UJC Senior Investigator Anna Funtelar acted as an accused first-year student drug offender. In the mock scenario, Anna allegedly suffered from a drug overdose after consuming marijuana brownies in a friend's dorm room and showed little regret about this offense. The trial aimed to illustrate procedural details using humor, not present a serious example of student misconduct.
UJC Vice Chair for First Years Charity Harrell, who played the role of complainant, said the UJC can only make judiciary information available to students, but it is students' choice to educate themselves.
"A lot of people don't think about UJC until they're in trouble and have to come to us," Harrell said. "I think it's imperative for our function and the entire well-being of the community to know about that before it happens."
Vice Chair of Trials Emily Forrester, who chaired the trial panel, said the mock trial can help students understand that the UJC's primary function is not to punish, but to protect the safety of the student body.
Forrester also said events such as mock trials are a good way to allow the student body to voice its opinions to the UJC.
"It's an election year," she said. "If people are happy that's great, or if they are concerned or have
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